Star In the Day
by Mysterious Prophetess
Summary: *Sequel to Star After Dawn.* Astris attends the Fourth Annual celebration of the Return of the Dawn, and makes his Mommy proud by behaving. However, like many four year olds, he's easily distracted by small furry creatures. This one just so happens to have a little red horn on its head.


The Dawn Celebration had been instituted at the insistence of Aurel Borealis to mark the anniversary of the dawn returning. It wasn't the exact one year because Noctis's death was not a date people wanted to celebrate on. Instead it was technically the second day after the dawn. The actual first day was set aside as a day of reflection. Night Remembrance Day, it was called. Astris didn't know or care about those facts. He just knew he loved Dawn Celebration Day because it meant that all his Uncles and Aunts would have time to spend with the four-year-old prince. Mommy was already up and she was the prettiest Mommy ever.

"Astris, no running," she said.

"Sorry, Mommy. Is Uncle Gladdy here yet?"

"Not yet, little Star," she said, "We have to eat breakfast first and then get ready to go outside." Astris pouted for half a second before he saw it was his favorite: Tenebraen Toast with Cavaugh Maple Syrup! He bounced over to the table and climbed up on his chair into his booster seat. One little hand reached for a slice of the toast.

"Use a fork, Astris."

"Yes, Mommy."

* * *

Iris knew this was divine punishment for being a precocious child herself. It had to be. Astris was, fortunately, dressed in his play clothes, which he got syrup all over, and not his good clothes. Thank the Six for small mercies. Though, with a wicked smile, she knew that Gladio's twin boys were just as, if not more rambunctious than Astris even at his most ornery. Gladio had been channeled into combat for a reason, after all. Aurel's little girl was an angel. Aurorae was from Niflheim, her pale skin, pale gray eyes, and nearly white blonde hair made it look like she'd been carved from the very snow fields themselves. Prompto and Cindy's kids…it depended. For the older of the two, the nearly three-year-old Cidney, if she had something to occupy her hands with she was fine. Their son, Agilis, on the other hand…..the two-year-old made the terrible twos a nightmare to remember and he wasn't even two yet.

"Hope we aren't too early." Ignis had arrived with Aranea, a surprising coupling to everyone except Iris. Their little boy, Sirius, was extremely well behaved for a toddler. Ignis's influence, obviously. Sirius quietly observed from his position on Areanea's hip. The older woman looked as young as ever. Sirius had her coloring except for the eyes. Those were pure Ignis. The bright green Ignis's eyes used to be.

"Siri!" Astris said.

"Not so fast, Astris; you need to wash up first," Iris said.

"Yes, Mommy!" Astris rushed out of the room leaving Iris to clean up the mess. She could have had a maid do this, but in her private apartments in the Citadel, she decided she would live as simply as possible. It was a way to keep Astris from becoming too spoiled, but he was still going to end up partly spoiled at the rate Prompto and Gladio were going. Ignis helped her and soon the dishes were in the dishwasher. Astris was taking too long, so Iris went to his room to see the little boy was having trouble buttoning up his shirt.

"Let me," Iris knelt in front of him and fixed the little black shirt before tucking it into the black dress pants.

"Can you get the shoes?" Iris asked.

"Yes, Mommy," Astris said. He clumsily laced up his dress shoes and did a large double bow for each shoe. Iris redid the bows and looked at his hair. It was messy, but not a total loss. She grabbed a comb of a nearby dresser and quickly set his hair to rights. It was windy, but by the Six she wanted to say she tried. Astris ran out where Sirius was waiting for them. They had to attend a ceremony celebrating the light at noon. There had been another ceremony at dawn itself, but until Astris was older, he wouldn't have to attend. It was really for the best, since a cranky toddler can really ruin a mood and a ceremony.

* * *

"You have to stand perfectly still, little Star or you'll have to stand with Clarus and Arum," Iris said making sure her little boy looked good enough to face the crowds.

"I'm not a baby," Astris said.

"I know. You're my big boy, but I need you to prove that to the other adults. You see, they don't believe me when I tell them you're a big boy," Iris said.

"You're trying to trick me."

"Maybe a little, but it is true. Promise to behave like a big boy?"

"I promise," Astris said. Iris kissed him on the forehead before she took her position next to him.

* * *

Arum and Clarus only made a fuss twice. Prompto had been forced to attend without his two. Cindy had called in a favor from a younger man who had started working at her garage part time to be a baby-sitter. Six have mercy on his soul. Astris had been a perfect little prince throughout the ceremony. Iris waited outside the Citadel, while Gladio escorted the little boys to the bathroom. Aurel, his husband Arget, and their daughter Aurorae were already finished with the post-ceremony bathroom dash.

"Everyone knows that this "prince" is really just the late King's bastard. Why legitimize him and reward that harlot for her social climbing?"

"Because legitimate or not he is a Lucii and bears their powers."

Iris clenched her skirts. She was Iris the Slayer, and some of those tittering aristocrats wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for her. If it wasn't for Noct's sacrifice they wouldn't be at a festival smearing his son's birth.

"All done. You ok?" Gladio noticed.

"I'll be fine. Let's get to the festival," Iris said. She noticed slightly large T-shirts had been pulled over the little boys' clothes.

"Better than bibs," Gladio said. Iris nodded in approval.

"Who wants to go get food?" Iris asked.

"Me!" Astris was practically jumping in excitement. Though he looked so much like his father, there were times his Amicitia half shone through. This was one of them.

* * *

It was one of the best days ever. Uncle Gladio had a genius plan to keep his clothes clean and his Mommy happy, and now he was getting to eat stuff Mommy and Uncle Iggy called "junk food" without having to eat veggies first. Sirius was being quiet like always, and so neat he hardly needed the shirt, but even he was happy whenever Uncle Iggy led them all to the best-est ice cream in the city. There were going to be fireworks later. Astris couldn't wait. He spotted something. It was a fuzzy white thing. Looked like a fox, but the ears were big and it had a red horn on its head like a spiricorn. Astris followed after it slipping away from Mommy, Uncle Gladio, Uncle Iggy, Aunt Sania, Uncle Prompto, Uncle Aurel, Uncle Arget, Aunty Cindy, and Aunty Aranea. He knew that was bad, but he wasn't thinking of much beyond "soft animal." He found himself in the middle of a large garden. It was the garden for the Moon Lady. There was even a statue of her sleeping the center. He liked the Moon Lady. She looked nice. The blue flowers were pretty. Astris looked up and saw that the foxy-thing had stopped at the end of a path, where there were shadows. A man in dark blue stood there looking at the Moon Lady's statue. He had blue eyes, just like Astris did, and black hair like his too. He bent down to pet the fox thing, which chirped and ran back to Astris. That was when the man realized he was there.

"Hey," the man said.

"Hi," Astris said, "What's your foxy thing called?"

"He's my friend Carbuncle," the man said running a hand along Carbuncle's body, making it chirp again, "How old are you?"

"Four," Astris said, "I'm—."

" **Astris**!" Astris jumped and saw his Mommy was near the gate. He looked back and the man and Carbuncle were gone.

* * *

"Do you know how worried I was whenever I looked down and you were gone? We were lucky someone had seen you enter the gardens. Never do that agin, do you hear me?" Iris checked him over for injuries and there were none. Thank the Six.

"I'm sorry Mommy but there—."

"I don't care. Please, don't do that again," Iris hugged him close.

"I promise, Mommy," Astris said hugging her back. The fact he was in the Lunafreya Memorial Gardens was not an irony lost on her. Never mind the fact he called her "Moon Lady" because "Lunafreya" was hard for a four-year-old to say.

"Found him?" Gladio loomed over Iris with Arum and Clarus at his heels, mostly because he had them on backpack leashes (their backpacks looked like a stuffed behemoth and a courel respectively: they'd picked them out themselves and everything).

"I did. I think I might have to get a pack like yours," Iris said.

"No! I won't do it again!" Astris protested.

"Promise?" Iris asked.

"Promise!"

* * *

 **MP** : Astris had a pretty big day: he met a ghost and Carbuncle.

I'm sure it was fairly obvious who the ghost was. :P


End file.
